“A Day to Celebrate” — The National Center Congratulates Secretary Deb Haaland
Secretary Haaland will be first Native American ever confirmed to Presidential Cabinet
Last year, The National Center was proud to present Secretary Haaland with the 2020 Tim Wapato Public Advocate of the Year Award for her efforts on behalf of Indian Country, including serving as the lead sponsor of the Native American Business Incubators Program Act, now signed into law. In 2020, The National Center President and CEO Chris James interviewed Rep. Haaland in her Washington, D.C. office.
March 15, 2021
Mesa, AZ — The National Center for American Indian Enterprise Development (The National Center) applauds the Senate confirmation of Congresswoman Deb Haaland (D-NM) as the next Secretary of the Interior. Representative Haaland becomes the first Native Secretary of the Interior and the first-ever Native Cabinet Secretary.
National Center President and CEO Chris James released the below statement on Rep. Haaland’s confirmation to Secretary of the Interior:
“Congratulations to Congresswoman Haaland on her Senate confirmation to become the 54th Secretary of the Interior. Soon-to-be-Secretary Haaland’s career is an impressive list of firsts: First chairwoman of the Laguna Development Corporation Board of Directors, First Native woman to lead a State Party, one of the first Native women elected to Congress, and now, the First Native American Cabinet Secretary.
“Native Americans nationwide can celebrate this confirmation as a defining moment for Native representation in the United States. With a long history of advocating on behalf of Native communities and other groups historically left out of the political conversation, we know that Secretary Haaland will be a strong advocate for America’s first peoples. The Department of the Interior’s 70,000 employees will have an experienced, thoughtful leader at the helm, and the millions of Americans who benefit from the Department’s services and programs will have a Secretary dedicated to the Department’s mission and mandate.
“We thank President Biden for keeping his promise to build a Cabinet and Administration that ‘looks like America.’ The National Center looks forward to working with Secretary Haaland to advance economic opportunity for indigenous people across the country. We are confident Secretary Haaland will excel in her new role, just as she has excelled throughout her career.”
About the National Center: The National Center for American Indian Enterprise Development (NCAIED) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. With over 50 years of assisting American Indian Tribes and their enterprises with business and economic development – The National Center has evolved into the largest national Indian specific business organization in the nation serving over 500 clients and providing over $4 million in contracts to its clients. The National Center has nine offices throughout the nation with its home office located in Mesa, Arizona. The National Center is actively engaged in helping Tribal Nations and Native business people realize their business goals and are dedicated to putting the whole of Indian Country to work to better the lives of American Indian people – both now…and for generations to come.
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